Serum nutritional biomarkers and their associations with sleep among US adults in recent national surveys

• Published in: PloS one 2014-08, Vol.9 (8), p.e103490-e103490
• Main Authors: Beydoun, May A, Gamaldo, Alyssa A, Canas, Jose A, Beydoun, Hind A, Shah, Mauli T, McNeely, Jessica M, Zonderman, Alan B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D; Adult; Adults; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Ascorbic acid; Ascorbic Acid - blood; Beta carotene; Biological markers; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Cardiovascular disease; Carotenoids; Carotenoids - blood; Circadian rhythm; Citrus; Correlation analysis; Dementia; Diabetes; Disease control; Disturbance; Dyssomnias - blood; Dyssomnias - epidemiology; Dyssomnias - physiopathology; Esters; Factor analysis; Female; Folic acid; Folic Acid - blood; Homocysteine; Homocysteine - blood; Humans; Insomnia; Logit models; Longitudinal studies; Lutein; Lycopene; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Models, Statistical; Night; Nutrients; Nutrition; Nutrition Surveys; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Oxidative stress; Polls & surveys; Research and Analysis Methods; Retinoids; Sleep; Sleep - physiology; Sleep and wakefulness; Sleep apnea; Sleep disorders; Sleepiness; Tocopherol; United States - epidemiology; Vitamin A; Vitamin A - blood; Vitamin B; Vitamin B 12 - blood; Vitamin C; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin deficiency; Vitamin E; Vitamin E - blood; Zeaxanthin; β-Carotene
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103490

The associations between nutritional biomarkers and measures of sleep quantity and quality remain unclear. Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2005-2006 were used. We selected 2,459 adults aged 20-85, with complete data on key variables. Five sleep measures were constructed as primary outcomes: (A) Sleep duration; (B) Sleep disorder; (C) Three factors obtained from factor analysis of 15 items and labeled as "Poor sleep-related daytime dysfunction" (Factor 1), "Sleepiness" (Factor 2) and "Sleep disturbance" (Factor 3). Main exposures were serum concentrations of key nutrients, namely retinol, retinyl esters, carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein+zeaxanthin, lycopene), folate, vitamin B-12, total homocysteine (tHcy), vitamin C, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and vitamin E. Main analyses consisted of multiple linear, logistic and multinomial logit models. Among key findings, independent inverse associations were found between serum vitamin B-12 and sleep duration, 25(OH)D and sleepiness (as well as insomnia), and between folate and sleep disturbance. Serum total carotenoids concentration was linked to higher odds of short sleep duration (i.e. 5-6 h per night) compared to normal sleep duration (7-8 h per night). A few of the selected serum nutritional biomarkers were associated with sleep quantity and quality. Longitudinal studies are needed to ascertain temporality and assess putative causal relationships.